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Black Brant Goose

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Provincetown March 20th. These were taken early Saturday morning as I walked out on the flats during low tide. This was my first time really observing black brants- they're pretty cool! Often compared to Canada Geese, I think these are far more interesting probably just because of the short time they're around (winter). Therefore, their friendly disposition, and bugle-like calls were much more appealing by default.

You can hear the Black Brant Call in this video:



They respected my personal space, as I did theirs, when walking around on the flats. Canada Geese on the other hand, would have been much more obnoxious, not moving an inch to let me by. This has been my experience with the Canada Geese monopolizing the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Brighton, and also the portion of the Charles River in Watertown Square. They're not very obliging when you're trying to carefully pick your way around on the path.
Also, they're far more photogenic- look at this Black Brant posing for me:
Here's a picture of a Black Brant dabbling. What do Black Brants eat? They eat plants- vegetation found in shallow water.
Black Brant Prints:
Black Brants in Flight. They kind of look like B52s coming in for landing.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This is a pale-bellied brent goose. Note the broken neck collar and very pale underparts.

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